No duelling in the corridors!
by ButterbeerWizard
Summary: A funny tale of James and Severus' childhood rivalry.


James looked at Sirius, a smirk on his face. He let go of his snitch and caught it without looking.

"James Potter, I'd recognise that face a mile off. Don't tell me - Lily said yes?" Sirius laughed.

James joined in with the laughter and dropped the snitch, who saw this as an opportunity to fly off, but got caught by Regulus Black, Sirius' younger brother, seeker of the Slytherin House team, who caught it while flying on his broom - the latest model, James noticed. Regulus flew down and handed it to James, who took it gratefully.

"Ha, as if; she just doesn't seem to like me. No, something much more exciting - I've figured out a spell to make Snivellus' nose bigger, if it's possible!"

"James, I-I hope I-I didn't just hear what I t-thought I did! Y-you've already lost us two hundred points! If Snape goes and tells McGonagall again, you'll get expelled!" squeaked Peter.

"Killjoy, I was just trying to make Moony happy. When he next sees Snape, he'll be laughing for the first time in ages! He still hasn't forgiven me for not catching the snitch in the match against Ravenclaw, when we'd already won the cup. Plus, he's a bit isolated, what with being the only We-" James finished mid-sentence as he was shocked - Albus Dumbledore had just removed his Disillusionment Charm, making him perfectly visible.

"James, as much as I love your wanting to make Remus happy, I think making Severus' nose bigger isn't that classy; you're better than that," he said, with a stern look on his face. But then leant over and whispered, "Try _Tarantallegra_ - it makes the victim dance like crazy!"

He chuckled and popped a sherbet lemon in his mouth.

"Want one?" he held out the brown paper bag for the boys to take some sweets. James and Peter politely took one, knowing they where the sourest things, but Sirius took a large handful.

"I'll give some to Remus," he said.

Late that night, James looked at the Marauder's Map hidden under his invisibility cloak. Snape was leaving the Slytherin Dormitory and going to the toilet. James got to the bathroom just as Snape was leaving. James had his wand at the ready, and muttered the incantation. Snape fell to his knees and suddenly got back up again, dancing, legs flinging around in every direction, looking like a puppet on its strings.

Snape was firing spells everywhere, breaking windows and sending sets of armour tumbling down the stairs.

"Oi, students out of bed! Or is it Peeves? Oh, I hate my job! Just another thing to do. I hate students!" shouted Filch as he waddled down the corridor.

Snape was still dancing when James was walking to Defence Against the Dark Arts, after lunch the next day. The spell still had not worn off!

"So Severus, you lost ten house points for not turning up to lessons - four times! Ha!" James crowed, teasing Snape. With a simple flick of his wand, he sent Snape crashing down to the floor. Everyone laughed, until Snape sent a red spark shooting at James.

"You'll be sorry! I'll kill you! I'll burn the heart out of you!" shouted Snape. James sent a green spark, turning Severus' hair bright pink. Snape sent a cobra out of his wand, which Moony cut with a flick of his wand. James sent a jet of water at Severus.

"I thought you wanted a shower; pity I don't know the spell for shampoo!"

Snape stood proudly and shouted- "Cruc-" and was abruptly cut off, after being on the receiving end of a plank of wood swung by a first year Gryffindor.

"Don't harm James Potter! Just calm down, you could have got sent to Azkaban!" the kid shrieked in a shrill little voice.

James sent Severus flying and left him dangling from the ceiling and took his wand. He leant over to Lily, who had been watching the proceedings from within her little cluster of friends.

"Can I go out with you? Next time we go to Hogsmeade?" asked James, sauntering up to her. Her group of friends all giggled, and more than one of them batted her eyelids at James.

"If you let Severus down, give him his wand and leave him alone. Because apart from that, I think you're a nice guy!" Lily replied coolly.

James did a counter curse and gave Severus his wand back grudgingly.

The next Saturday, James took Lily to Hogsmeade and they had a good time, with many bags full of Honeyduke's sugar quills and Zonko's tricks, and bellies full from many Butterbeers.


End file.
